Since it's been rather slow on the IndyCar newsfront as of late I figured a thread for the smaller news, that perhaps doesn't really justify a completely new thread of their own, might be of some use.

Quote:

Rookies get some laps in traffic on oval

Bombardier Rookie of the Year candidates Marco Andretti and Paul Dana completed a successful two-day test at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Feb. 15.

Indy Racing League officials conducted the test in order to evaluate both drivers in traffic on the 1.5-mile, high-banked oval that will host the season-opening IndyCar Series race March 26. Veteran driver Michael Andretti, who will come out of retirement to compete in the 90th Indianapolis 500 on May 28, also participated in the test.

Watkins Glen recently announced that more improvements are in the works:

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NEW RACE CONTROL TO BE ADDED ON FRONTSTRETCH

Capital improvements continue in full swing at Watkins Glen International with the addition of a brand-new race control structure located at the top of the new FrontStretch Grandstand, which was built in 2005.

Watkins Glen International president Craig Rust announced today that the foundation has already been poured in preparation for the track's new addition and that the project is expected to be completed early this spring.

Misc notes from a few days back - Kanaan is featured in tv-ad and AGR & SSM test Indy Pro Series drivers:

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Kanaan featured in Reese's ad

IRL IndyCar® Series driver Tony Kanaan is featured along with NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick in a new commercial for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups with caramel. The commercial has been shown nationally during a variety of television programs and sporting events.

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AGR, SSM test Indy Pro Series drivers

Andretti Green Racing and Sam Schmidt Motorsports continued their preparations for the 2006 Indy Pro Series season Feb. 8-9 with two days of road course testing.

The two teams formed a partnership in December and tested on an oval in late January.

Jaime Camara, who finished fifth in the series in 2005, and rookie Jonathan Klein, a freshman at the University of Dayton, are slated to drive for AGR. England's Jay Howard completed his second test for Sam Schmidt.

I take it Dana has competed in few enough races to still be classified as a rookie?

I'd say so, yes, since he only did three races before suffering the back injuries during practice for the Indianapolis 500.

Not sure, to be honest, whether or not IndyCar has an official cap on the number of races you can do in one year and still be classified as a rookie the next. The NEXTEL Cup Series, for example, has a cap of seven races in one year to maintain your rookie-status for the following year.

Dan Wheldon did 2 races in 2002 and was Rookie of the Year in 2003, but I'm not sure what the cap is. I thnk in NASCAR you are classified as a Rookie if you've done less than 16 races, and less than 8 in any one season (bearing in mind the extra length of their years). Incidentally, Dale Earnhardt made his debut in 1975 and was Rookie of the Year in 1979, as he did occasional races for a few years.

New Indy Pro Series squad Michael Crawford Motorsports has announced female racer Mishael Abbott as its driver for the opening race of the 2006 season, at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 26. The 24-year old will test with MCM, also at Homestead, on March 4 and 6 during the Pro Series' preseason Open Test.

Sigh... I sure wish I could get the US commentary so I could get a chance to hear how Rusty does this year, but I'm guessing we outside of the US will get the usual "international US commentary" again...

Also, it might be of note that Dixon and Wheldon drove Panoz chassis yesterday even though the team announced a switch to Dallara this year. This might mean they plan on running the Panoz at the road courses and Dallara at the ovals. Not a bad idea since the Panoz seemed pretty good on the road courses last year.

__________________
racing is an addiction that once you get it into your blood, no matter how long you sit out, its always there.

P.J. Chesson was informally announced as the driver for Hemelgarn this year. It was also announced that Gene Simmons would be providing "financial backing" for the team. Its unclear whether that means some sort of sponsorship or if he has bought part of the team.

Looks like depspite all the off-season soothsaying about "minimum car counts" that the series will have just as many full-season runners as last year.

__________________
racing is an addiction that once you get it into your blood, no matter how long you sit out, its always there.